memories
by WyldClaw
Summary: 2nd sunrise fic. after the birth of their grandkits Ivypool and Dovekit Ferncloud and brightheart reminisce about Whitewing and Birchfall's births. one shot


Kitting by WyldClaw

Summary: This is my second fic based off of _Sunrise_. It is basically Brightheart and Ferncloud remembering Birchfall and Whitewing's births after their granddaughters Ivykit and Dovekit were born (well in ferncloud's case it's introducing her first litter to their new siblings). The flashbacks are shown in _italics _and when I switch from Brightheart to Ferncloud's POV the she-cat's name will be in **bold**. Also author's notes will be in brackets like these () much of the back-stories I am making up. I don't know when Brightheart actually had her daughter but I am saying that it is at the end of Greenleaf. Also I am saying that Spiderkit and Shrewkit are about a moon and a half so they are just learning how to properly say things

Disclaimer poem:

I don't own any of the cats that in this fic you will see

So don't even think about flaming me

Or I will have my Snorlax, Sleepy, sit on ye!

Thanks and please read and review!

**Brightheart:**

I lovingly peered down at the two little bundles of fur sound asleep at Whitewing's stomach with my good eye. They were both she-cats, one having a fluffy gray coat while her sister had tabby and white fur. "Are- those really my grandkits?" I wondered out loud, knowing full well that they were. StarClan, they were so beautiful.

I looked over at my own daughter. Whitewing was fast asleep herself, exhausted from her kitting, a look of happiness on her face. 'I'll let her sleep' I thought as I padded out of the nursery as softly as I could.

Cloudtail was waiting for me, his blue eyes shinning with pride. "Well, what do they look like? Is Whitewing okay? How many are there?"

"She has two she cats," I told him as I rubbed my ginger and white pelt against his white fur. " A fluffy gray she-kit and her sister are a tabby and white. They are both healthy, Thank StarClan"

Cloudtail scoffed when I mentioned StarClan. I knew he had a problem acknowledging ThunderClan's warrior ancestors and didn't believe in them. He was such a mouse-brain but I still loved him.

" Do you remember when Whitewing was born?" I asked him as I took a vole from the fresh kill pile for myself and he took a squirrel. We sat down and started eating.

"How could I forget? Thornclaw and Brackenfur didn't let me forget it for a while " he grumbled and then started eating the fresh kill. I chuckled as the memory came back to me.

_It was the end of another beautiful Greenleaf. I stretched out in a warm patch of sun in front of the nursery_

"_It's such a nice day," I purred to myself. As if to agree with that statement, I felt a kick came from inside my swollen belly and I looked down at my belly. My whiskers twitched in amusement. "I guess you want to come out very soon, huh? How many of you are in there? Will you be toms or she-cats?"_

"_I used to do that with you and your littermates" I heard a voice nearby. I looked up and saw Frostfur padding toward me. She sat down next to me, a caring look in her blue eyes. "I talked to you like you could hear what I was saying. You were a feisty little bunch"_

_'Mother! I wasn't feisty. Maybe it was Thornclaw or Brackenfur or even Cinderpelt"_

_She chuckled. I felt another kick, harder than the first. "Cut it out. " I mumbled_

" _What's wrong, Brightheart?" Frostfur looked concerned_

"_N-nothing Frostfur. Just a little" I was cut off as a great pain clutched at my stomach. "YEEEOOOOOOW!"_

_As more pain attacked my belly, Ferncloud came out of the nursery, followed by Spiderkit and Shrewkit._

"_What's wong, bwightheart?" Spiderkit asked me._

"_Why did you scweam?" his brother Shrewkit added as Ferncloud took one glance from Frostfur to me and understood._

"_You're kitting right?" I was in so much pain I could only nod. The gray queen looked at Spiderkit "Spiderkit, get Cloudtail, he's on a hunting patrol with rainpaw-"_

"_But, kits aren't awowed to leave to camp awone" he pouted_

_She smiled at him. "I'll go with you" she nudged her dark brown son with her tail. "Shrewkit, sweetie, can you go tell Cinderpelt that Brightheart needs her?"_

"_I can do that, " he ran off._

"_We'll be back in two shakes of a fox's tail" Ferncloud motioned with her tail for Spiderkit to follow her and left. Sure enough a few heartbeats later Shrewkit returned with Cinderpelt. My gray sister knelt down on her paws and faced me._

"_Well, Brightheart, it seems like your kits want to come out now"_

_I rolled my eyes. " Gee really, sis? I thought... it was a stomachache... from... some bad... fresh kill" I gasped between cries of pain._

_Cinderpelt flicked her ears at me as if she detected my sarcasm. Shrewkit looked scared. "What's gonna happen?"_

"_Okay, what I need you to do is push. " Cinderpelt instructed me as the contractions became worse and more rapid._

"_I'll do my best" I replied through gritted teeth_

"_Come with me, Shrewkit" Frostfur stood up and gestured to the little tom. "Let see if we can find Thornclaw and Brackenfur s"_

_He looked relieved at not staying and followed her._

_It was exhausting work- it felt like hours that I was in pain. But soon enough..._

" _I see a head. Okay push with all your might!"_

_I pushed as hard as I could. A small ginger and white tom kit, looking just like me came out._

_ Cinderpelt nipped the sack and started licking his fur. __But something was wong. I couldn't see my son breathe. Cinderpelt stopped licking his fur and gazed up at me with her sad blue eyes. I knew what she was going to say. "Is-Is he-"_

_She slowly shook her head and I felt my heart tear. "I'm sorry Brightheart. He's with our father Acornpelt in StarClan"_

___I was crushed._"It's... not your fault sis . I'd like to give him a name so that he can introduce himself to his grandfather. " I thought hard. " goodbye my little Tinykit" I bent down to lick my son for the first and only time. "Be brave my son" 

_ "I'm sorry Brightheart. I'm sure that Tinykit will be safe in StarClan" mewed Brackenfur, who had come over, unseen by either of us. "I'll bury him for you" _

_I blinked at him, trying not to show my sadness. "Thank you" __He bent down and took the stillborn kit by the scruff of his neck and padded away._

_I looked at Cinderpelt with my one good eye. "Cloudtail can never know about -yeeeowwwwwwww!" a huge spasm of pain hit my stomach._

" _This is it! I see a white head! Push Brightheart Push!"_

_I yowled in pain and when I stopped I heard something else- a tiny mew. Then darkness overtook me_

_I must have blacked out for a few minutes because I felt someone's tongue on my head along with my mother's voice "Wake up Brightheart. There's some one who wants to meet you"_

_I opened my eye and looked down. There sucking at my belly was a tiny white she-kitten. I looked up again and saw Frostfur, Cinderpelt and thornclaw. For an instant I thought I saw a familiar black and white cat sitting next to thornclaw but when I blinked the figure was gone._

"_Congratulations, it's a beautiful she cat" Cinderpelt said._

"_Thanks" I mewed._

"_No problem." She grinned. "It's times like this that make me proud to be a medicine cat. She's beautiful"_

_Brackenfur looked like he was about to cry. "I can't believe thornclaw and I are uncles."_

"_And I'm a grandmother" Frostfur added. "Cloudtail will be so happy"_

_I looked around but I couldn't smell or see the white warrior anywhere. "Speaking of my hotheaded reckless mate, where in StarClan's name is he?"_

_Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of white skid into the center of camp. My family members moved to the side but my mate didn't see me. "Have you seen Brightheart?" he asked Mousefur. " I-I told her that I'd be here for her. Where is she?"_

" Mousebrain _Look behind you" she purred._

_He blushed when he turned around and padded toward me. "I ran... as fast as I could"_

"_Cloudtail, meet your daughter" I smiled. "Little one this is your daddy Cloudtail. "_

"_M-m-my daughter?" he looked down at the tiny kitten. "I'm a father! Wait I'M a father? Uhhhh" _

_He swayed from side to side before heading out of my line of vision. There was a great THUD!_

_Everyone started chuckling. "What happened?" I yawned._

"_Cloudtail couldn't take the reality of seeing his first child...so he fainted" Thornclaw said_

'And now she is a mother herself' I thought, thinking back on the day Whitewing was born. 'It doesn't seem like that many seasons ago that she was born'

"Hello earth to Brightheart, come in Brightheart" Cloudtail waved his tail in front of me to get my attention.

"Hmm?"

"You looked like you were staring off into space." He replied

" I was just thinking about our daughter's birth."

"Oh. Want to go hunting with me?"

"Sure." I hungrily ate the vole. Once I finished, I got to my paws "Let's see what kind of prey is foolish to hide from us"

**Ferncloud**:

"Ferncloud! Ferncloud!" Foxpaw, my reddish-brown son came running up to me, his sister Icepaw behind him. "Have you seen Whitewing's kits?"

I shook my head. "I was going to see them right now. Would you like to come with me?"

"Sure. Brightheart said that I could have the afternoon off-I already did a patrol and hunted" Icepaw replied. Brightheart was her temporary mentor while Whitewing was in the nursery.

"Squirelflight said she's going to take me out to the training hollow but first I have to clean out the elder's den " Foxpaw made a face. I could relate to that-cleaning out the elder's den was one of the chores apprentices liked the least

"Don't worry, Foxpaw" Icepaw reassured her brother "I'm sure you'll see them soon enough. They'll be in the nursery for six moons"

" Yeah " he sighed before heading over to the elder's den.

I rested my tail on Icepaw's shoulder for a few seconds. "Don't worry dear. It is not like Foxpaw won't have another chance to see them"

"I know, Ferncloud but try telling that to him.". We began walking over to the nursery. "Ferncloud, do you think the kits will like me?"

"Why would you say that? Of course they'll like you"

She looked down at her paws for a split second. "I dunno. Maybe I'm just nervous about being an aunt."

"Nothing to be worried about, Icepaw. You are a wonderful she-cat. The kits will love you. "

We entered the nursery and walked to the center and stopped. "Awww. That is just sweet" Icepaw whispered as we both sat down. In the center was Whitewing, Two tiny kits, one with a fluffy gray coat and the other with a ginger and white coat were snuggled up next to her belly. On her left side was my son Birchfall. The young brown tom was snoring lightly. The three she cats were all sound asleep. "I guess they are all wiped out"

" Well, kitting takes a lot out of you. I was out for two sunrises after you and Foxpaw were born." I whispered to Icepaw. "Did I ever tell you the about first time that Spiderleg met Birchfall after he was born?"

My white-pelted daughter looked at me with her blue eyes. "No, you didn't"

"Okay, it happened many, many seasons ago in the old forest..."

_It was the beginning of newleaf and I was inside the nursery. I looked down at my newest kits. Dustpelt and I had already picked out their names: Larchkit was a small grey tabby she kit with amber eyes while her sister Hollykit was a beautiful brown tabby. Birchkit, the sole tom, was a handsome brown tabby that had amber eyes like Larchkit._

_Dustpelt had gone to get Shrewpaw and Spiderpaw so we could introduce them. I saw my sons come inside and it didn't surprise me at all when I saw Whitepaw with Shrewpaw. They were good friends. Plus her father Cloudtail was raised with Ashfur and I so she was like one of my kits._

_They all came over to me and looked down at the kits._ "_They're beautiful kits, Ferncloud" Whitepaw told me, her green eyes soft. "I bet Brindleface is smiling down on them from StarClan"_

"_Thank you for that nice comment. I think you are right" I smiled at my 'adopted' niece-Brindleface had taken Cloudtail under her care when Firestar brought him to ThunderClan when he was a little kit and brought him up along with me and my brother Ashfur._

"_They're so tiny" Spiderpaw remarked._

"_All kits are, dear" I told him._

"_So, we were that small too?" Shrewpaw wondered._

_I nodded at the young dark brown tom's question. " You bet"_

"_Have you and Dustpelt named them yet?"_

"_Yes we have, Whitepaw" I tapped each kit lightly on their head with the tip of my tail as I introduced them, "Hollykit the is the light gray one, the cat in the middle is her sister Larchkit, who has a brown pelt, and Birchkit -Birchkit, come back here, sweetheart"_

_Birchkit had gotten up and was about to go outside when he heard my voice. He let out a squeak of disappointment as he walked back to me, his tail dragging on the ground._

"_It's okay," Shrewpaw told him. "You'll be able to play outside soon enough."_

_His little brother looked up and yawned before coming up to me and falling asleep._

"_I think you'd make a great father, Shrewpaw," I purred._

"_Nah, I think I just got some of father's wisdom" He chuckled_

_Spiderpaw was looking at his siblings. "How come I only have one brother but two sisters?" he whined. "I wanted more bothers"_

_I gave him a look. "Spiderpaw!"_

_Shrewpaw looked at his littermate and then at me as if wondering how to answer that but it was Whitepaw who answered it. "Cause that's the way StarClan wanted it. What's wrong with she cats?"_

_"They are terrible gossips."_

_"Have you ever heard me gossip all the time" She questioned him._

_"Uh, -" Shrewpaw cut him off_

_"Have you forgot that she-cats are wonderful hunters and fighters, Spiderpaw?" I swelled up with pride at his comment._

_" And just cause I've been around you and Shrewpaw since I was born doesn't make me a tom" Whitepaw stated. " Maybe you have bees in your brain but I'm a she-cat "_

_He opened his mouth to reply but we were spared when we heard Ashfur's voice. "Hey Spiderpaw, if you're done visiting your new siblings, Mousefur wants you to go on a border patrol with her"_

_The black tom took one look and then left. I knew that he was just jealous._ _"It's okay mother," Shrewpaw looked at me. "I think he woke up on the wrong side of the den this morning" I smiled at him. He looked at his paws for a few seconds._

_"I think you picked out wonderful names," Whitepaw said_

_"Yeah," Shrewpaw agreed. "That little birchkit's going to keep your paws full, I can tell. Uh was I that brave when I was little?"_

_" You liked to play a lot" " I meowed._

" Spiderleg said that?" Icepaw asked me after I had finished my story. She already knew what had happened to Shrewpaw-I had told her and Foxpaw about him when they were kits.

"Yup. He was jealous of the fact that he had two sisters. But he gotten over it"

"Ferncloud, I think Brichfall's waking up" Icepaw saw her older brother's eyes opening. The light brown tabby stretched his front paws and looked around and saw us.

"Huh? Oh, Hi Icepaw. Hi mom err Ferncloud. I'm sorry" He looked embarrassed, like he had been caught sleeping on guard duty. Then I heard my grandkits start to mewl.

I shook my head. "No need to be sorry, e were just waiting for you to wake up"

"We didn't want to disturb you" Icepaw added.

"Oh. Would you like to meet my kits?"

I laughed and tapped his nose with my tail. "Silly fur ball, of course I'd like to see my grandkits"

The end.

Author's notes: Well how did you like it? Too sappy? I think this is my longest warrior fic to date! I tried to keep the cats in character but it was hard. Please let me know what you thought of it in a review


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